Arlington Independent School District announced Friday, Aug. 17, that the AISD Board of Trustees voted and has appointed Justin Chapa to fill the seat and unexpired term of Jamie Sullins until the May 2018 elections.
The Board decided to appoint Chapa, who is in his second term on the AISD Education Foundation board, rather than holding a special election in November due to the costs associated with a special election and the fact that doing so would require possible candidates to file for a November election in the next 12 business days, due to state election laws.
“On behalf of the Board, I’d like to welcome Justin Chapa to this role,” Board President Dr. Aaron Reich said. “Justin is a dedicated servant with exceptional experience that will benefit the district and our students.”
A news release commented on Chapa’s history with AISD, calling attention to the fact that, having attended Crow and Atherton elementaries and Hutcheson Junior High and graduated from Sam Houston High School, Chapa is a product of the district. Chapa is married to Anna, also a Sam Houston graduate, and they have three children.
That isn’t where Chapa’s academic journey ended, however, as he holds a bachelor’s in government from Harvard University, a master’s in education from Stanford University and a juris doctorate from Stanford Law School.
Chapa’s education experience includes two years with Teach for America, where he taught government and economics at Brownsville ISD. Additionally, he taught government at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto, California.
Chapa currently works as an attorney in the Dallas office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. He is active in PTA, serving as the first chair of the Corey PTA Dads Club. He has also served AISD through his time on the Financial Futures Committee, the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee and the Capital Needs Steering Committee.
Outside of his work for AISD, Chapa is on the board of directors for United Way of Tarrant County and has served on the board of directors for the Arlington Public Library Foundation and Leadership Arlington. During his time with Leadership Arlington, Chapa helped direct the Youth Leadership Arlington program for three years.